Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)
ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 475.23 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438), 1993–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) is 475.23 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) peaked at 540.61 million in 1993 and was at its lowest, 475.23 million, in 2024.
That places ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) 11th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 540.61 million | — |
| 1994 | 536.28 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 532.01 million | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 528.24 million | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 524.36 million | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 487.47 million | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 484.27 million | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 487.42 million | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 493.49 million | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 494.96 million | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 491.11 million | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 492.12 million | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 506.33 million | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 518.19 million | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 521.73 million | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 519.96 million | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 519.85 million | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 501.93 million | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 507.83 million | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 510.31 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 505.53 million | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 504.54 million | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 494.67 million | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 490.27 million | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 489.62 million | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 482.40 million | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 491.84 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 487.98 million | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 484.34 million | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 479.95 million | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 477.57 million | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 475.23 million | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 519.04 million | 484.27 million | 540.61 million | 7 |
| 2000s | 504.52 million | 487.42 million | 521.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 497.89 million | 482.40 million | 510.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 481.01 million | 475.23 million | 487.98 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)
More education data for ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.0831 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 143.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.4555 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 135.85 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 11.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 181.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.5884 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) was 475.23 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- The highest recorded value was 540.61 million in 1993.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- The lowest recorded value was 475.23 million in 2024.
- How does ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) ranks 11th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release